I Shall Not Wholly Die :sic:
by Liz M. J
Summary: WARNING: This is TOTALLY violent, coarse and black. Readers are required a hard stomach. The author isn't responsible for any bad feelings yielded by reading this story. Enjoy it. Please: if you don't like it, don't tell me. I totally love it. S/O, S:N. My Old Blues.
1. Your Love Was Like a Candy

_Non omnis moriar. And now I know that I don't know how to wish for worse, anymore. I also know that, when a God punishes you, He realizes you dirtier desires. And in that swish of wings, above - that there isn't an Angel, I know. But I, fighting, have gained you - and there is nothing else that I'll ever want._

A ray of light, cutting like a razor, first tried to and then failed in blowing a man's head off his neck.  
The blade bent and lost its edge perfection, and then it returned a normal sword in a hand that sheathed it back.  
The hand's owner said, "The light betrays me…"  
The other man, adjusting his perfectly straight hair, answered:  
"Today you're almost distracted. You are thinking about something. I don't know what –"  
He disappeared –  
"I don't give a damn. Stop. I'm here!"  
He said, reappearing in another place near the armed one.  
The guy managed to avoid the attack; however, he did it in the last moment.  
He then stepped back and attacked the other himself.  
"Ok, I must admit it. I'm thinking…"  
The other dodged his blow, grabbed the sword's last end with his left hand and threw it away, on the ground.  
"Huh".  
His face meant _'Still you don't get that I don't give a fuck?'_  
The younger attacked him bare handed, kicking his legs and in the same time trying to get his throat.  
He swept lower, near the ground, and ended up standing behind him.  
"Snakes never fall, my dear…"  
The younger repeated the attack, and this time he managed to take one of the other's feet out of position, and see him nearly sitting down;  
But the man pointed on the other foot, bent the knee, put a hand on the ground and kicked him with the free leg, the right one, in the stomach.  
"And when they fall, they do it right".  
He laughed, a short laugh all in 'ku' (like a pidgeon), and moved swiftly to end up before the boy, looking straight in his eyes.  
The boy looked still thoughtful, while (with a foot) he picked up his sword.  
The man lowered his face nearer to the boy's eyes, and waited;  
It seemed that he had, in the end, to listen to the 'child' whims.  
"What's up, then?"  
It was the boy's turn to laugh.  
"I saw" turning suddenly serious "that young boy in the cellar"  
The other, loudly and angrily "...'CELLAR'…"  
"I saw you're quite interested in him. Some privilege, hereabout. Since I noticed you're spending more time in that cellar than with"  
He tried to attack him with the sword, but the man blocked his hand and moved the head even nearer;  
(His face said _'WHAT A PAAAALL…')_;  
The boy, still seriously: "Me".  
The man burst out laughing. "You're jealous?"  
"I … but … you wish!" "HAHAHAHAHAHAA!"  
Wait. A normal laugh on his side?  
"You're jealous, face it. Oh, guy, I'm glad. This is the first time that someone is jealous of my attention"  
"Not that. Time. We've got – I'VE GOT" (whims) "less time to train. And then, you're always tired…"  
"I'm really not that healthy. That's why I'm looking after that guy; I need some of his cells."  
"Got it. Go on?"  
The man left him, stepped back, disappeared, reappeared in another place and attacked him.  
While moving, he laughed in 'ku' again and said:  
"You know, we could even train at night, to use all our time!"  
The guy laughed again:  
"No, wait, that's too much! You distract me!"  
The man looked surprised –  
"YOU – distracted? So it really upsets you!"  
He stopped and stared for a whole minute at him, he smiled, disappeared and reappeared before him – he grabbed his face and kissed him.  
Who stood still – not moving for some moments.  
Then – since it was so, he decided to grab the chance – what wrong could come out of it?  
He kissed him back.  
Well, the man thought like a snake –  
Look under each and every stone, there will always be something useful:  
So he just caught the chance, exactly what the boy himself did – he, the hawk:  
Predator. _'All preys are good enough for me. *All preys are belong to me._  
_Whatever I can have, to myself, it's worth getting it._  
_And, by the way, I don't give a fuck about hetero/homosexual to be, I just can say that he attracts me – it's normal._  
_He's a snake. He IS beautiful – and attractive – Magnetic._  
_I know, everybody always saw me cool' –_  
And what the man saw was a clean neat little cold black spot, like an eye's pupil; where the eye was he, Orochimaru.  
His PUPIL – not PUPPY.  
He left the boy's face and said:  
"This will end up blowing up my plans. I can't reincarnate in your body if I want it with mine"  
The boy didn't blush.  
He was himself: way too cold to stand a warm-blooded person near, with all its needs for care and thinking, as if she wouldn't let HIM think of Himself; what this man surely would do.  
Way too cold for a normal, warm-blooded person; perfectly what this man needed.  
This man: perfectly what HE needed.  
"That's what destiny is? If I didn't talk…"  
The man answered: "I'd never catch it myself…" and kissed him again.  
"You're going to kill Itachi and then come back to me then? You're going to stay?"  
What? Sasuke was baffled. How could – HE – care for someone else?

Of course the boy was too young and too pussy to count a little 'Mind Theory' in his interests, OTHER'S MIND Theory, we mean.  
We can quite easily see, that what moved Orochimaru in doing all those things was what we call 'Insecure Attachment Syndrome';  
The snake itself is the one able to live without relationships, without needing them –  
Because the human Orochimaru already knew that all relationships must end –  
They will end; the other WILL go away;  
That's something you two have no control over;  
And it hurts so badly when the other goes away.  
You know, and you're right;  
There isn't a way to cure it, if you're intelligent enough to not let the truth you know be replaced with lies (_'it will be alright'_).  
The malediction of the intelligent people is the stupid ones they got around.  
When you're more intelligent than the others, you only see the others fail, and fail, and fail again;  
You can't trust anyone else than you.  
It will all fail, with them, since they fail everything.  
So, in order to protect himself from the pain –  
The only relationship Orochimaru wanted to establish was the physically possessive/ psychologically dependant relationship – the one he had with Kabuto.  
The only relationship which is totally under your control, so it can't break up if you didn't – FORESEE – it.  
But as a foetus waiting to be brought to life – he only was waiting for the good chance –  
And the good chance, in this state of things, could only be a cold-blooded careless independent murderer like him.  
Like Sasuke.  
Sasuke was the person that Orochimaru WANTED to be near him, next to him, WITH him, when things happened.  
Cold-blooded minds never ask why.  
They just check if the thing is alright, and then accept or refuse to do/have/be it.  
So, once he checked it, he saw it was alright, and – accepted – it.  
The same thing Sasuke did.  
He was left blank staring at the other:  
"I…stay… OH, YES!" He embraced him.  
"But it's something we must have control over, right? Under hand. No higher".  
Orochimaru laughed again.  
Eventually, Sasuke blushed.  
"But…you…I…let's go on training!"

Of course, the two of them thought separately and thoroughly of the subject.  
Sasuke decided to see where this was going to end, but he had always '_to keep in mind'_– he said to himself – that Orochimaru was '_like a snake; he could always lie about anything'._  
Orochimaru himself thought that Sasuke was _'like a little parasite, more a vulture than a hawk'_.  
He would take all he needed, and then go away.  
_'I'll compensate his greed'_, thought the snake-like man, _'with breaking his heart. Couldn't I – make him being dependent on me – and then deceive him? Or lose interest in him? At least, then … oh, I didn't think of this. I can simply take out the best from him as long as I 'train' him, kills Itachi or not, and then reincarnate the same in him'._  
That's what a snake thinks.  
So, we have the certain proof that, as usual, Sissy was the straight pussy don't-understand-anything we could picture him to be before.  
And he was going to get used – were they the only two interferer agents in material world things.  
They weren't, we know.  
They knew of course – you're cold-blooded since you ALWAYS perceive perfectly the actual truth.  
Perfectly means completely – and only it, nothing else – purely, cleanly – the 'clear mind'.  
It took some days for Orochimaru to picture the fact that they could EVEN have something else than kisses.  
The 'age difference' problem was easily solved by Sasuke –  
He simply turned his body into an elder boy's one – around 19.  
Orochimaru appreciated the matter.  
He was – of course – more beautiful; and he didn't feel the quite creepy sensation of being such a vicious bastard, who touches a teenager, being him about 50.  
However, even after it, the physical side of their partnership took days to get figured out by him.  
Cold blood had carved its way in his veins, freezing him almost dead-like – or well, stone-like.  
It's just like the 'stream of consciousness' crystallized into diamond, a 'forgetting himself to marble' revised and improved in real life.  
'Forgetting himself to marble' has been said of a great poet, who wrote the fall of angels and men and later the regaining of paradise; he wrote to 'justify the ways of God to men'.  
In this case, the citation grows to metaphor of Orochimaru's case.  
And his Eve, the Sasuke who still wasn't cold enough, yet, to forget physical impulses and needs of living beings, listened to the snake and called upon Adam (the man), but to regain the paradise lost of 'happiness' and take control over the Snake being.  
And we write, to say, to justify the ways of hands via providing ground of data processing ways in the hand's rulers: brains.  
Justifying the ways of brain, we justify the paths of hands, which – Maggie – like actions, 'will be your destiny'.  
As we can easily predict, the relationship grew roots, grew higher and deeper and more powerful, strong, involving the two ones' minds almost completely – even releasing a spark in that dead place – the one the warm-blooded have as a fire, whom they call 'heart'.  
The attention, the caring, not these 'cowards'-like things: the mind.  
The thought.  
Each one of the partners fulfilled the other's mind, was his only interface, his only peer, his only mate; psychologically, more than a relationship this was a symbiosis.  
They poured each one's mind into the other's, they were always looking for another way – not to know each other, they already completely did – but to SHARE each other, to build a unique, common, shared mind.  
They even quite managed to – they became so similar, that sometimes Kabuto talked with Sasuke and forgot he was not Orochimaru.  
He would think of a mental possession of Sasuke from Orochimaru's mind, hadn't he clearly seen that Orochimaru himself did CHANGE – some things became the same as Sasuke's.  
Some voice tones, some facial expressions, some gestures, even the posture – when he stood up, he did it like Sasuke, legs a bit spread, the back straightened, neck and shoulders contracted, head held high; not like he did before, the shoulders always relaxed and legs kept together, and the head always a bit lowered.  
Of course Orochimaru avoided transforming himself into a giant horrible snake when he was with Sasuke, he always kept his human appearance - moreover, the one that Sasuke liked over everything else.  
Sometimes – Kabuto laughed if he thought of that – Sasuke, while they were eating, talking, even training, stopped and stared for whole minutes at Orochimaru's face.  
The same did Orochimaru; so, sometimes they were both still, frozen, silent, looking at each other – as they were drinking from a waterfall.  
They actually ATE each other's data.  
They were impressive; but for once, this was – not only sweet, beautiful, good-looking – this was, okay, good.  
Good.  
On Orochimaru's side – the good?  
Could it really be that Sasuke was able to bring him home again, in the picture, to normality, to a normal life?  
Sasuke himself looked stronger.  
More faithful, happier, like everything was easier – in the last month he never said the word 'Itachi'.

Then Orochimaru put out the subject, saying "What will you do in the end?" after a quarter of hour of pure silence.  
Of course, being them, Sasuke knew perfectly what he was thinking about.  
"I think it's better to wait" he answered "I'm still not strong enough. I have to survive, you know…"  
And the two of them laughed, while Kabuto, simply, smiled.  
He always had to be careful; they could start quarrelling at any time.  
And when they did it was really creepy for him;  
If he stayed on Orochimaru's side, Sasuke would attack the two of them;  
If he stayed on Sasuke's side, Orochimaru would get angry with him and treat him badly for days;  
If he stood against Sasuke, Orochimaru would defend him – even if HE thought he was wrong –  
And of course he never stood against Orochimaru.  
But they didn't let him stay out of the quarrel; each one wanted him on his side to show the other he was wrong.  
They never quarrelled on important things; moreover, they never quarrelled about THEMSELVES.  
They were always fighting for the truth on subjects like "if DNA was implanted" or "if that weapon goes" or "if we attack it from this side".  
It all ended up in bed, to be honest, like all of their nights.  
Yes, we know Sasuke was far too young.  
He knew too.  
However, Orochimaru knew 'jailbaits' enough – he was a slaughterer…  
The Orochimaru/Sasuke thing began to spread out in some way.  
Someone simply noticed some – hem, behaviours – on Orochimaru's side (Sasuke never left their place) or it was even Orochimaru himself to talk too much, when he met Kakashi in one of his tours around Konoha.  
However, the news spread.  
And someone wasn't really happy of it – Naruto first… how could he expect – moreover, he still wanted to bring Sasuke back, but in this case – and with their own premises – okaay, 'best friend' but that kiss as they were kids…and couldn't someone cheat around it?  
Luckily, Kakashi managed to shut up the whole thing, while:  
_'These were only_ "mere rumors" and -  
_No one should_ "believe such an absurd thing" -  
_Of course Akatsuki was trying to_ "take Sasuke away from Orochimaru, spreading the rumor that he cheats on Sasuke in such a way".  
_End of discussion.'_  
Okay, but Naruto still knew it. And he couldn't accept properly this – OROCHIMARU?

There was another person who didn't really like the state of facts.  
It was Itachi.  
He had managed to take out a lot of information from Kabuto, in a slight racket – "that's my brother; if I tell someone something I know about someone … like how Orochimaru could be easily erased … that's because you didn't tell ME everything about THIS".  
He had the proof that Orochimaru himself wasn't just using his brother for amusement; he cared for him (at least).  
But Itachi didn't give a fuck about it.  
Loving him or not, his little brother SHOULDN'T simply even PICTURE being approached by a male being.  
Moreover, Orochimaru was the less trustable person over the earth.  
Itachi decided to move the Akatsuki definitely against Orochimaru, but to do it with surprise effect; and when it was done, it should strike thoroughly.  
They were going to erase Orochimaru, none of his cells had to survive; this would have meant rebirth, for someone like him.  
One final great stroke.  
That was what they needed against him.  
So he reached Kakashi and had a talk about the whole thing.  
"You could even be freed from the reward on your head, if you help us killing him".  
"I quite know. I'd like to come back, of course I won't be allowed to, but I'd like. That's a risk, however, that Sasuke kills me after we kill Orochimaru. If this is the case, let him do it, be quiet. That's what I always wanted".  
Kakashi agreed.  
After all, he didn't know anything about those brothers' case, nor was he interested in it, until it had something to do with the Leaf Village now.  
They put down a plan, then gathered information, then checked up their allies and soldiers, then gave birth to a strategy; more or less ten Leaf Village shinobis were involved, with the whole Akatsuki.  
In the last moment, Itachi ended up telling Kakashi that 'great secret' about Orochimaru.  
The great secret was: try to kill Sasuke,  
"I'll do it.  
Orochimaru will be cut in two between the urge to protect him and the cold-blooded math of 'ME'.  
I'll keep an eye on Sasuke; if you attack Orochimaru, for ten minutes, constantly and all together, his mind won't be able to react to all the blows.  
You'll finally get him down if someone uses the BlackHole technique; I can trigger Sasuke to do the Chidori on me, then you can catch it and blow it up with the white chakra – we need the Jinchuuriki, the Kyuubi's chakra here.  
The BlackHole's chakra mass must crumble in itself and implode in perfect time – we'll use some tricks to stand it.  
And if we wrong for seconds – I have the Izanami. I'll fix it"  
Kakashi stared at him and answered:  
"Why didn't you use it before? Weren't you of the Akatsuki already against Orochimaru?"  
"No. You wronged it, at all. We were trying to use him, as he did with us".  
"I didn't think the Akatsuki could be more cold-blooded than Orochimaru"  
"At least he is a snake, a living thing. Not weather" he had no expression, like always.  
Kakashi didn't answer, he just thought a little about what he said.  
Who was less reliable?  
Uchiha versus Orochimaru?  
We'd just say – Frenchcore.  
If you really wish to picture the following battle thoroughly, since we won't describe it, just put on a good Frenchcore track and imagine following these basic principles: Orochimaru is the high sharp notes, Itachi the bass, the Leaf Shinobi are the rhythmic pounding and the voices are Naruto and Sasuke.  
You can picture the BlackHole as the ear-cutting blast that surely will come out in some moment.  
The end of the battle was predictable; Orochimaru shielded Sasuke with his body (one of his bodies, alright) and ended up being caught by the BlackHole (antimatter, after all) who deleted his atoms into nothing.  
Forgetting himself to nothing.  
Sasuke was completely upset, he of course tried to go after Itachi, whom Kakashi ordered to disappear.  
Itachi did, we'll see why, in the end: the certain thing, for the moment, is that he disappeared. Or well, escaped.  
Orochimaru's reasons for not defending himself were simple:  
_'Let Sasuke have a real, normal life._  
_Get out of his picture'._  
The truth was that even Itachi relied on this will of his:  
The truth was that Orochimaru LET them kill him, for the reason stated before.  
That Sasuke could have a full beautiful life. Maybe even with 'his' – Jinchuuriki.  
_'C'mon, I've suffered enough._  
_Leave this world to the ones who deserve it'._  
Good kills evil, you know.


	2. Your Web, And I Learned How To Bleed

Sasuke stopped fighting – and talking.  
He kept silent in Kakashi's arms, as he forcedly brought him – eventually – back home.  
Sasuke acted like he wasn't there.  
No pain; just the wayward behavior of the child who didn't see WHAT HE WANTED TO.  
His will was made of whims.  
That was why he still remained weak, after all of this training; that was why he grew from weak to coward, in the end, and from coward to violent.  
For the moment, he was still, motionless in Kakashi's arms, seldom looking at any of them, but when he did, only one: Naruto.  
When they arrived in the leaf, Sasuke was put under trial for some things (like trying to kill Naruto) and left free, on the basis of his 'possession' by Orochimaru's seal – and will.  
No one talked of their affair – no one wanted to interfere.  
It was quite clear that it had been something important, and it was better not to touch Sasuke's certain pain with their uncertain hands.  
He'll get it by himself, "we all survived failed romances. Often failing with death".  
Sasuke didn't leave his house, but to wash himself (when the public baths were empty) and buy himself food.  
He didn't want to talk with anyone – he didn't want to talk.  
He didn't talk.  
Even when Naruto went there to visit him – he was the only person allowed in Sasuke's house – Naruto talked and he didn't answer.  
He simply looked at him, sometimes nodded or shook his head.  
He often asked Naruto to eat with him; it seemed that after all he couldn't stand to be always alone.  
Sometimes Naruto tried to talk about Orochimaru.  
Just to tell Sasuke that he didn't judge him, that he knew better, and to know – once for all – if he really loved him, and if this was the case – how Sasuke was feeling now. The friend.  
The first two or three times Sasuke just waited for it to be justifiable – then he began hitting Naruto's face every time he pronounced "Orochimaru".  
Slaps, not hard – light, just to say _'shut up your mouth'_.  
But Naruto didn't want to stop – he HAD to know.  
As he went on, Sasuke did too.  
When Naruto understood this wasn't going to change, he decided to give up and put up the thing; Sasuke didn't.

In the end he began to talk, firstly they were insults;  
Then he started to communicate normally, for normal things –  
_'Pass me, do you want, what do you say, what's happened here?' –_  
But words were followed by slaps, for whatever reason.  
After some weeks the slaps twined with fists – at face.  
It didn't matter if the thing Naruto said or did was wrong, and why – sometimes Naruto couldn't really see a reason.  
The only time he said to Sasuke "Stop this damned thing for once!" the answer he got was "That is the door".  
He got it, _'okay, better no; he'll never let me in again if I walk out'_.  
But he burst out saying "Why have you to be so impossible" and received a fist in the stomach.  
"Didn't you get it? I told you there is the door. I'm so"  
Naruto didn't have to answer.  
Sasuke already turned to something else; he didn't care for the answer.  
He KNEW that he would stay quiet.  
And let him do whatever he wanted, until the price was his presence in his life.  
Sasuke had only to wait, until Naruto got used to it, until it wouldn't be so strange anymore to him, until he would – finally – accept it.  
Sasuke, after some months, was asked whether he had a will to come back with the team 7; negative answer:  
"I'll do whatever work I can do without seeing anyone of you".  
Naruto tried to convince him, and paid it with a new entry:  
Sasuke was so angry and was going so deep in beating, that Naruto naturally tried to defend himself; then, Sasuke put the two hands on his lower stomach, on the Kyuubi's seal, and taking advantage of the Kyuubi's presence (when the demon got angry, Naruto's body lost some of his control over chakra) he cut the link between the chakra nodes in two, dividing Naruto's chakra in two different flows.  
This, Naruto had never heard of; and Sasuke was already aware of it, foreseeing it as usual.  
Then he hit him forehead to forehead, and went on battering him like nothing happened.  
Naruto paid it but got it; Sasuke accepted to go out of his house and see other people, and even began talking with them but he had the awkward use to go away without saying nothing if things didn't suit him.  
They even tried to get him into the Anbus.  
He didn't accept; he apparently knew enough of that Constabulary from Orochimaru's witness.  
He asked to enter the normal police, and was first rejected then taken in.

The difference was made by a letter, nailed by a kunai in Sasuke's door; the letter was addressed, as written on it, to a house in the other part of the village, which moreover was evidently abandoned.  
But Sasuke didn't wonder and put the letter in that house's box. Then went calmly home.  
Waiting for the daily outburst coming later to him with Naruto's body, he stayed at home reading, calmly, 'The Clear Mind'.  
That letter, we can tell, had been written by Itachi, kept by urgent business out of Konoha's reach; the letter was addressed to the chief of Anbus, and it was what we called it before: a racket.  
Yes or no.  
So, or so.  
Itachi threatened the Anbu's Chief in some way; "_this _or _this_, if you don't take Sasuke in the police".  
So Sasuke was put under training, which he finished in half the normal time.  
They said, "He's like Itachi".  
Kakashi thought, "If only this was the case".  
Sasuke was strange. Kakashi FELT that something was going wrong - but he never thought of Naruto.  
However, the evening of the letter thing, Sasuke quite let Naruto quiet.  
He was rather happy, he didn't know why.  
A Kagebunshin of Itachi had followed his walk, by some hidden point there around.  
That thing Sasuke felt, was indeed the happiness for his brother's presence in his life; but we can't, apparently, ask Sasuke to be so smart to _understand _his feelings.  
Watching one self's mind can lead to the dreary, awkward moment in which you face yourself; the fear of it comes from the thought:  
_'And if I don't like me? What will I do then? I can't change myself!'_  
So, one knows it.  
Why then he spends decades trying to change himself, if he knows he can't do it?  
The unconceivable (and unjustifiable) thoughts of a stupid.  
As a policeman, Sasuke tried of course to become officer as soon as he could, and of course someone kept in mind his undeniable abilities; but they couldn't forget, the same, all the mess he once put up for nothing (actually).  
This meant that Sasuke early became a lower-grade officer, but that he would have to work hard, and correctly, for years, to achieve a higher state.  
Returning to our sweet lovely couple, of course the exaltation coming from his uniform and social state didn't work for good on Sasuke's psychology.  
Naruto was the first, and the only, one to suffer from this nth dysfunction.  
Sasuke went on beating him, and the stop-chakra thing became usual to him.  
Every time he had to raise a finger on his 'best friend', he did shut down his defenses, and while he was at that, he also choked up his voice in some meander around his throat.  
And Naruto kept silent.  
Not a word, not a sign; always wearing his outfit, _but _as he had always done; no one noticed, of course.  
It was months since he stopped going to the public bath when there could be someone else.  
His strength, his laughs, his will, his force of spirit, were no more than a shadow of his usual ones.  
This was noticed by many people, but they thought of the difficulties in bringing Sasuke back to his original personality, the one Naruto had loved and handled as the 'best friend' thing.  
No one thought, nor could imagine, that Sasuke was handling his 'best friend' in a way that was constantly more different from the way he would have done it some years before, when he was (can we say it?) the 'original', 'uncorrupted' himself.  
This new Sasuke was, actually, a bunch of violence kept together by the bounds of his physical limits; violence to which the hate gave birth, the hate which triggered thirst for power, the power which promised Sasuke to free him from his limits.  
This was at all a wrong, wicked system; naturally it crumbled as soon as Sasuke tried to build something upon it.  
The limit.  
He passed the limit when he tried to choke him, no doubt; and Naruto kept silent.  
But the limits that were passed, this time, were the PHYSICAL limits of Naruto: his lungs weren't properly working, at all.  
Neither his kidneys were; his stomach wasn't good for anything. He ate ramen with the others just to avoid questions.  
Then he vomited it in the toilets.  
He lived of milk, and that hurt, of course, too.  
Sasuke didn't simply give a fuck.  
He often watched Naruto eat something with him and then run to the toilets.  
He complained about "not seeing it, it should be fun".  
Luckily Naruto didn't hear, however he would have smiled.  
He always smiled, with him.  
He never smiled, out of it.  
Can we call this, uhm, a Stockholm syndrome?  
Or something else?  
Was it a dependence-relationship that Naruto accepted, with Sasuke?  
Or a proper Stockholm Syndrome, with all its meanings of adoring and worshipping the torturer?  
Neither of the two, if we look carefully.  
It was simply the parenting, bed-side manner behaviour put up from the friend of a junkie in abstinence crisis;  
_'I'll wait until this ends, I have just to wait until this ends, IT WILL END, he will eventually stop harassing me, this is just – to cure him – he has to be helped. HE IS the victim'_  
This is only the syndrome of the people who are too much good-hearted.  
A bit like in some places the saying goes: 'Good once, good twice, but thrice good is stupid'.  
Well, Naruto was at the second time.  
The third came, when he ended up vomiting blood for half an hour, after having followed ten minutes of the same training he could stand for days, _before_.  
Before was already another time, another phase, the previous step, the previous age; it was not – like – now.  
Now – was – different.  
This is how the victim accepts the injury.  
Now, is the time of the injury; yesterday, was the time of happiness.  
This is acceptance.  
But not yet surrender.  
How could Naruto surrender?  
Ok everything, but he was Naruto.

The third time, as the saying goes, is the last, and so it was.  
Naruto broke down with Kakashi, when he tried to get out of him an explanation of his body breakdown and bloody sickness.  
Naruto began to talk with the intention of inventing an excuse; he ended up telling Kakashi that, simply, since Sasuke came back he had get used to beat him like a punching-ball, wasn't it for the kicks.  
Kakashi said "I saw no wounds. Why aren't you-"  
Then he linked elements, and asked "So he exploits the regeneration of the Kyuubi?"  
Naruto didn't answer, but breathed – the intention was to sigh – and the other understood its health state, in some way, hearing his lungs _whistling_.  
"You have to go to the hospital. Your lungs won't heal by themselves".  
"I don't want him to be sued, if he is – "  
"You can't die to protect him!"  
"Of course but if I … oh … "  
No breath…  
Kakashi stopped talking and thought, for some moments, about something in particular, a question: tell him or not?  
Well, well … You can always tell.  
"Take a look at this".  
He lowered the mask.  
His cheeks, chin, mouth, neck, it was all covered with scars; they looked like – oh – writings?  
"WHAT's THAT?"  
"That is what I did, trying to erase a seal made by Orochimaru. I won't tell how he did it. The seal was here, you see the white spot?"  
Of course, the circle nearly perfectly in the centre of his right cheek.  
"I was 9.  
I found him here in Konoha. He wanted something by Itachi; now I can tell he wanted to use him for reincarnation.  
Or well, just take some cells from him to study them - he maybe even did it, i don't know. Itachi was 1.  
Of course I had to stop him, whatever he was doing.  
He went away when the Anbus came to help me – but first he made this seal to me and to another one too.  
The thing went that Orochimaru possessed this guy, who was an Anbu; and therefore when someone got aware of this, the whole thing was shut up and this guy killed.  
But, right after the seals were made, he became my friend.  
I discovered I already knew him, we were neighbours then he disappeared; he entered Anbus.  
As the time passed, the seal got power over him; my seal instead kept quiet, it seemed like I didn't have it.  
He began to attack me - however it took me a pair of fights with him, to understand HE wasn't ruling his body.  
Orochimaru did.  
I had to fight him since he tried to kill me – Orochimaru's vengeance.  
Then he saw he couldn't, and put up a whole theatre to convince me that this guy had been healed – from the seal.  
He said he still felt bad, in some way; then began, the same with you, this violence against me.  
I was 9, and he was 14, and I – in some way – trusted him.  
I didn't talk.  
It ended up way worse than with beating.  
He – switched on this seal of mine – and it was unbearable.  
I tried to get safe, and there was no way; the seal blocked me, as I had no will, as I was a – puppet.  
The day after I went by the Anbus and told them everything; so they killed him, and I tried to erase the seal alone.  
I got this malediction written extended on the whole skin.  
Then, I don't know why, but Orochimaru forgot me.  
Or he pretended to.  
However he never had the time, luckily, to think about me again.  
I'm warning you.  
Don't let him do whatever he wants.  
He's not your king, ok – but neither your princess.  
You're too indulgent with him.  
And you must care for yourself.  
You have to be healed.  
At least the organs.  
You can always tell that you're regularly fighting, not that he beats you to death"  
"Well, he's not really trying to kill me! He simply acts like he … doesn't give a fuck".  
"And this triggers you to get his attention.  
So, to be indulgent with him.  
He knows, Naruto.  
He's using you.  
Even if it is really the anger, the pain or whatever he has to cope with, he mustn't do it forcedly on your body.  
Tell him.  
I know he'd definitely try to kill you then, but tell him.  
If he answers something like 'Then go away', you GO AWAY. Is it clear?"  
"Yes…"

It's all simple in words.  
That evening, Sasuke didn't even notice that Naruto had thought of it.  
It was all like the other evenings, but for the fact that Sasuke pressed Naruto to 'take his chance' with Hinata.  
"This would be better";  
And, if Naruto got married, no one would think of the thing that could be easily believed seeing the two of them always together.  
So, Sasuke could do whatever he wanted more easily - and freely.  
And: if Naruto had problems (it was certain, that he would never try to go against HIM) at least he would have someone to dump 'em on.  
Hinata and Naruto began to see each other; and the thing went on so well that, in a week, Naruto entered officially the Hyuuga family.  
Sasuke was pleased, but this didn't mean he stopped his violence on and against his 'best friend'.  
This thought appeared to be incomprehensible to him, and never actually entered his reflections, in his life.  
More or less than a month after their official beginning, Naruto and Hinata were offered a private feast (like 30 people) by Hinata's parents, in the family 'mansion'.  
Literally, it began with a formal ceremony and ended in a hard party night.  
Everyone was drunk, everyone was high, everyone went around singing and dancing and whatever – we mean the younger ones, of course, parents retired to sleep around midnight (saying "Neji keep an eye over them" – "Of course!").  
Neji was sober when he answered; he got drunk in half an hour.  
Around 3 o'clock in the morning they were quite gone out of alcohol supplies, so Neji checked the cellar – or well, he went to check the cellar.  
He stopped at the entrance and began laughing like an idiot:  
"I'm afraid! I'm afraid! Hahahahaha! Help me – someone! I can't believe I'm afraid – the cellar – oh Jesus"  
(How much has to be drunk a Ninja to invoke Jesus?)  
"I will save you! I'm coming! Wait! I am the hero!" fired back the completely drunk Naruto Uzumaki.  
Hinata … was talking of whatever with Ino and Sakura in the living room – they were completely alone – all the other guests were in the garden trying to fight, in couples or threesome, in some acceptable way –  
Screaming: "HAAA! Look at this fist!" "Where?" and things like that.  
Naruto was drunk, Neji was drunk, Naruto fell down the stairs, and you quite know where the thing was going to end.  
However, we must admit that Neji had still a spark of conscience:  
_'Do I know what I'm doing?'_ which ended in a refusal of taking conscience _'No. Do it.'_  
No one noticed that they disappeared, the 'mortal combat' in the garden had reached its peak, and while some fifteen people were lying on the ground wounded, the other ten were drinking cheerfully, raising glasses to their victory.  
Naruto and Neji regained conscience after an hour, feeling the biting smell of alcohol which fulfilled their throats.  
No way, no, they were still drunk; Ninjas don't know the boiled-egg device.  
Neji stood up, took Naruto's hand and without saying a word led him upstairs.  
The thing done, it is done; what's wrong in doing it again?


	3. Prey In Your Bed & Devoured Completely

When dawn came and Naruto woke up, Neji was already gone washing himself and come back.  
They still didn't talk, but in the very same moment they saw each other they burst out laughing like they were retarded.  
Naruto went to check his bath himself, Neji stayed at home and began to tide FIRST his room, then the incredible mess that guests had left around the whole house – before disappearing.  
Neji laughed to himself while he worked.  
In the afternoon he went to Naruto's house.  
He was somewhere around the village; probably he went to sleep after the bath, and now had to eat – ramen!  
Neji leaned against the wall beside the door, and waited for Naruto to come back.  
Shortly before he appeared at the corner of the street, Neji felt a change of empathy; _someone had begun to watch him_.  
He stepped forward and looked straight at Naruto – and when he looked back at him, he didn't, like Naruto, burst out laughing again.  
He kept himself serious, and as soon as the other could hear him, he said:  
"I have to talk you about Hinata. Don't worry!  
You know I'm very glad that the two of you…"  
Then Naruto opened the door, Neji closed it immediately and they caught each other again.  
Naruto leaned against the door, looking at him.  
Neji said "Never think of love, huh?"  
Naruto laughed again (his old, beautiful, whole-hearted laugh) and said "I know!" kissed him and added "But it has to end the soonest possible…"  
Neji fired back: "Create a Kagebunshin" while he did the same on his side "They go out with others. I want to stay here."  
That evening, Sasuke wondered why Naruto didn't come there to visit him, like every day.  
Naruto had thought of it, and had decided to send him the Kagebunshin; of course Sasuke wasn't that stupid, though he was a coward, and recognized the trick.  
Sasuke replied beating the Kagebunshin to death and throwing him out the door.  
The next morning Naruto went to apologize, but Sasuke blocked him on the threshold, quite angry, and said:  
"Don't worry. You don't owe me anything. You already did more than what you could expect from me, for me; and you got your own life after all, isn't it true?"  
He said this while checking Naruto's reaction to his sentence.  
That reaction was blushing.  
Sasuke understood.  
"Come here this evening, and come YOU".  
"Okay…"  
He thought he had to tell Neji that that evening was 'off duty', and went to do it.  
Sasuke waited until Naruto reached the corner of the street, and followed him.  
He had just to see them standing near each other; it was enough.  
He came back. Neji had the Byakugan; he could bust him.  
Better not to be busted.  
However, Naruto and Neji were saying something that he would have very much liked to hear; they were deciding to stop immediately and definitively the thing, for Hinata's sake – "It has even gone a bit too far".  
They ended the discussion bursting out laughing again together.

This is the 'friend and benefit' which we should have all the chance to enjoy in our lives.  
That evening Sasuke treated the true Naruto as he treated his Kagebunshin.  
But – he surprisingly stopped at a certain moment, staring at Naruto.  
Naruto was sitting on the ground, with back leaned on the wall, hands dropped down, no defence, no move.  
Sasuke sat on his heels, closest to him, and put the hands on his knees, staring at him for a whole minute long.  
Then he slipped a bit forward, stopped there and grinned – a strange smile, which hadn't anything – HUMAN.  
Naruto thought, only for a moment, that it was OROCHIMARU to move him – HIS MIND.  
Sasuke stood up and stepped back.  
Naruto felt some chill – some instinct warning – and some freezing breathe in the heart.  
He didn't know yet; this was simply his heart, beginning to crumble, a dysfunction that would soon bring him to infarction; if Sasuke didn't stop.  
Sasuke grabbed his shirt and threw him to stand up before him, then pushed him back with hands on the stomach, which hurt bad – this time the injuries were serious.  
Then: fist, fist, fist – stomach, head, chest.  
Naruto vomited.  
Sasuke stopped and stared at him again, standing before him with hands dropped down.  
Naruto looked at him himself, for some minutes, and then crumbled.  
He grabbed Sasuke's face with a hand "Alright…don't mind…"  
Sasuke smiled. No – he grinned.  
He helped Naruto's chakra to heal back to the normal state, and Naruto smiled at him.  
Sasuke slapped his face.  
"Why don't you grow hair? It would be wonderful. Hinata would love it, I'm sure".  
The way he said 'HINATA'.  
"And by the way – these scars"  
He scratched with his nails the scars on Naruto's cheeks.  
"They'll go away in a minute". So they did – they disappeared.  
"What" Naruto is baffled "Wasn't that a Kyuubi thing? How could you interfere …?"  
"Orochimaru taught me this. He taught me many things …"  
Naruto sat on the sofa and asked him "Could I wait here for the wounds to heal a bit? That would be the best thing…"  
"Yeah. You should take a bath after it. I'm going now; when I come back you go. Then we'll see how you are doing, and I'll Kai the remainder".

Some days after, Neji went to Naruto, to give him a necklace he made, with a pendant picturing two ideograms – NA NE. He was wearing a copy of it; this was meant to "always remember good things of the past".  
Naruto was pleased, of course, and he put the necklace on immediately – Neji was pleased of that, and they all were happy and everything was alright.  
No, no, you got it right.  
Some thought was carving Naruto's mind from the day before –  
_'If it was Neji, not Sasuke – it would all be so pleasant._  
_If it only was Neji – if I only gave up Sasuke –_  
_BUT I CAN'T - it's not for me that I do it, it's for HIM –_  
_He has to be helped – he's evidently under a grudge –_  
_HE IS THE VICTIM!'_  
This wasn't the truth. He saw this with his own eyes, that very evening.  
Sasuke saw the necklace, while they were having lunch at the Ramen place, and chose to wait, as he always did.  
The snake Orochimaru had taught him this too: WAIT for the best moment to attack.  
Wait, be still, attack by surprise, bite with venom, run away, and hide again.  
Be a virus. It's the best predator you can be, when you're a coward. The parasite.  
Naruto was still having dinner – at the Ramen place – when Sasuke came there (miracle!) to call him.  
"Come home" ('home', his house, was their place, in Sasuke's mind) "I have to talk to you IMMEDIATELY".  
As soon as Naruto stepped on the threshold, what literally means 'with still a heel in the door', Sasuke closed and shut up all the windows – and the door itself.  
He blocked Naruto against the door. Like that time with Neji.  
This wasn't a coincidence.  
He actually read it in Naruto's mind, which he was surfing as easily as we do with websites; and just like websites don't, Naruto didn't KNOW he did it.  
Orochimaru's lessons were turning out to be more useful than expected – ALWAYS useful.  
Think cold-blooded.  
Always is better than some times. And some things MEAN some times.  
Always means all.  
"You fucked?"  
Naruto stared at him, his eyes whitening.  
"You – who?"  
Slap.  
Sasuke grabbed the necklace and pulled it, until it cut a slight scratch on Naruto's neck.  
Naruto still kept silent.  
Then said "I thought you KNEW – last time"  
Slap. Too strong, too heavy – Naruto felt a little 'crack' somewhere in his neck/nape bones.  
"W-wait… you're gonna kill me going on like this"  
Sasuke was frozen still.  
"You can't go on – my organs haven't healed yet and I"  
Fist, right in face again.  
Sasuke grabbed his shirt, pulled him away from the door, turned around, pushed him back in the middle of the room, kept hold on his shirt and kicked him on the legs, pushing him down.  
The shirt tore.  
Naruto sat on the floor, calm – he always tried to look calm, he thought this would help calming the other. Mother.  
Fist, left – fist, right – fist, left  
"STOP! THE NECK – THE NECK HURTS!"  
Sasuke stopped.  
Naruto fell down.  
He grabbed Naruto's neck and pulled it closer, while Kai-ing it.  
But he pointed on ground, on knees, hanging over Naruto, who was still lying down.  
The Kai finished, he remained there – and punched him again – face, then stomach.  
Naruto spat blood.  
"You're – killing me. We go nowhere – so, Sasuke, you'll – kill me. Don't be fool – stop –"  
Sasuke didn't say a word.  
Stone cold frozen.

Then he moved – he moved his knees over Naruto's legs, holding them down blocked, he put a hand on his mouth, and the other disappeared from Naruto's sight.  
Then Naruto's eyes opened wide, too wide, and he started a snuffed acute scream – all in "aaaa" – long, and crying.  
This had really to be painful.  
The hell, picture it – Sasuke had grabbed and squeezed way hurtfully the other's 'lower parts'. You can picture the ache?  
Naruto wasn't reacting, anymore.  
He was fainting, trying to keep hold on his own conscience, but he underwent a hyperventilation crisis -  
Sasuke took advantage of the fact that he couldn't stand muscle contraction in his lower zones, and grabbed his thighs – and spread 'em.  
Naruto's right hand crawled to his own heart, he stopped breathing for a second – like he faltered a single heartbeat – he held his heart, and fainted.  
Sasuke swore.  
Punch in the face, punch in the stomach – slaps, and no reaction.  
The he thought – hand on his heart – Kai.  
No answer.  
Hand on his head, something – he concentrated.  
Naruto woke up.  
He even tried to sit up – first he felt the various aches, then he noticed Sasuke's position, still holding him down.  
"WAIT. You – wait"  
"He mustn't".  
Fist, right. He went on beating him while talking –  
"Weren't I the most important? All of your friends – FRIENDS – like him – and I – the best friend? You're right. I can't go on beating you. You can't stand it anymore. So what else can I do?"  
Naruto stared at him voiceless.  
Sasuke tore the necklace.  
"That's to make it clear" – slap, powerful, throwing Naruto's face to the ground.  
"To be honest…" he stood up.  
"I'd rather kill you.  
To say, things are broken down well enough for the both of us.  
To make it clear, to make it clear to you: NO OTHER.  
Nor me.  
This time is gone, and I did more than I – get it, this is over, it's ended.  
It's enough for you to avoid being touched by men – you'll have enough with Hinata, no?  
I can only assure you that the NEXT time this happens I won't think twice.  
And I'll publicly ruin your life.  
When you'll have no way to stay here again, then, you may think of following me somewhere else.  
It's alright?"  
Naruto couldn't breathe fully yet.  
"Al-right"  
He tried to wake up.  
He fell back down on the ground – and he – wronged – absolutely –

He smiled.  
That maybe had been the trigger.  
Sasuke's soul was completely gone black – it was quite like antimatter with matter.  
Happiness, goodness, everything good, made him aggressive.  
He walked to Naruto, taking off his shirt.  
He was so quick that Naruto didn't have the time to react - it was so violent that, blocked hands and mouth, all that Naruto could see was a black spot over his head – and then it was all gone.  
Naruto didn't move.  
He stared at the ceiling, breathing, eyes spread and hands still on the ground.  
"You – dear God" he ended up saying after a few minutes.  
Then he looked at Sasuke –  
And he was crying, in pain, looking at his own hands, with a face that looked – afraid, sick.  
Naruto shouted:  
"Oh no, no, no no no NO!"  
And he woke up, despite his whole body hurt, grabbed Sasuke's face with his hands, sat in front of him, looked him eyes in eyes –  
For a moment, only for a moment he thought of what he was doing -  
And kissed him.  
"Don't be afraid. It's alright. It's all right, for me. No wrong. Don't worry. Don't worry. You didn't – it was-"  
What courage -  
"It was me – I didn't react. It was me – I was too slow. No. No. Don't mind. Don't worry. I'm ok. I'm ok"  
And kissed him again.  
Then embraced him, putting Sasuke's head on his heart, closing his arms round Sasuke's head and shoulders –  
Taking care of having all the body completely relaxed –  
Like a mother embraces a sleeping child.  
Sasuke reacted, embraced him himself, one arm rounding the hips, the other passing under his left arm and holding his nape, to keep Naruto's face stuck on his head – like a child embraces a mother – and like a lover embraces a woman.  
They stayed there for some time, maybe an hour, still – silent.  
Then Sasuke spoke, "Forgive me…" and Naruto laughed "You fool. I already did".  
And he did it again, he kissed him, a calm, sweet kiss.  
Like that of a mother.  
And then – he kissed him on the forehead.  
Like a mother.

You can't be the mother of a vulture, even if you're a half demon.  
It all was going well – then after a week, Sasuke did it again.  
Naruto was sleeping, there was no reason, and the beating followed – again.  
Naruto was helpless.  
How could he tell Kakashi? He'd inform the police.  
Neji, no – he would kill him.  
Or maybe not –  
_'If I put it better – I can skip over the violence, or I can skip over that and simply say,_  
_He IS GETTING more violent NOW, and I don't know what to do, and he – we_  
_– Okay I must tell him._  
_I don't know what to do…with Hinata._  
_I'm afraid – if I leave him, for her – If I let him be alone –_  
_He needs me – couldn't his mind break down?_  
_He simply needs me to be his one._  
_I can't, I can't leave him like this…_  
_I must talk to Neji, but not alone with him – or well, Sasuke didn't say that I can't…'_  
Neji was quite cold with Naruto, and he needed half an hour to understand why.  
Naruto hadn't seen his cousin for a week, since he was completely down with Sasuke.  
"I hope at least there is a good reason for it. Is he not going well?"  
Naruto stood up and walked two steps, looking in another direction.  
"When it was done. Did you notice – something strange on me?"  
Neji, mental void: "No…"  
Naruto started growling –  
"I couldn't nearly move! My lungs hurt! My stomach! I had a number of scars – of wounds!  
And you neither did notice – I can't – I can't believe it!  
In the end this means HE is the one who cares the most – nearly enough – for me?"  
Neji stopped breathing.  
Looking at him with a bad – bad – bad – stone-like face.  
His eyes darkened to grey.  
"HE WHO?"  
Naruto turned around to look at him.  
"Sasuke. He's…"  
Neji moved so fast that Naruto couldn't avoid it;  
The slap came even faster, but a light slap, the only effect was a red spot that lasted some minutes on his face. Naruto replied:  
"He began like this."  
He didn't say anything else.  
Neji stopped again, looking at him, his eyes whitening again:  
"He beats you? … When he knew …? He beat you? Why-why didn't you tell?"  
"What could I tell? He'd get sued. No way"  
"He goes on? And you let him?"  
"At least he cared a bit about what – was done – to me.  
The time he knew of us – that was beating.  
He nearly killed me. All my organs – hurt so badly.  
I didn't tell him to stop.  
I didn't tell him how seriously he injured me – I waited the next morning, and I did what I could to heal it all over.  
Then days later" pause "When I put on the necklace"  
Neji grabbed his collar and took a look – no necklace, and the cut "What?"  
"What?  
Naruto.  
If he actually tried to kill you, that's something we can't shut up.  
We must tell someo – Kakashi"


	4. I Can't Let Go: Walls Are Caving In

"HE RAPED ME!"  
Neji stopped breathing again.  
He simply stared at him, mouth open, no move, still, with his hand still in midair near Naruto's face.  
He wasn't able to talk.  
Naruto took breath:  
"Twice.  
This week - the second time.  
I can't stand.  
No, I can't stand it.  
I can't – stand it – anymore.  
The last two times – those times – beating –  
He really almost broke my neck off.  
Please.  
I can't – I must do something.  
But if he gets sued – It's finished for him!  
I just can't let this happ- …  
Who are you look-"  
He turned his head to look over his shoulder – there were two people.  
No.  
Three.  
One, Kakashi.  
Two, Itachi.  
Three, behind them, looking NOT at him, but at Itachi - the end.  
It's gone.  
He's going away – the same – I KNEW –  
He – Sasuke.  
Itachi turned back himself, saw Sasuke, and escaped.  
Sasuke followed him.  
Naruto crumbled.  
Fell down.  
He growled, no, he roared to the nothing before him "NO!"

Kakashi didn't speak.  
He grabbed his arm, took him back on his feet, and started to pull him somewhere – "Neji, come on".  
The thing could only be solved with Tsunade's advice.  
AND: she was the Hokage, she had to know.  
AND: Naruto needed healing.  
AND: what should we do about his mind?  
That – parasite.  
That leech.  
Luckily, he is so strong, he stood it all.  
But now,  
"Neji, could you think thoroughly of it? You know what I mean.  
It seems you care. That's enough – later will come the rest"  
"But I don't know if he wants"  
"OF COURSE he wants. OF COURSE. Really, Naruto?"  
He kept silent.  
Neither shook his head, neither made a move, he followed Kakashi.  
_'Back'_ he was thinking -  
_'All of this was for nothing. For nothing. He'll never come back –_  
_And if he does – IF HE DOES – they will'_  
"I have to tell"  
"YOU WON'T TELL NO ONE NOTHING!  
STOP PROTECTING HIM!  
It's an order, Naruto.  
I won't allow failures.  
He'll pay, and you can be sure, I'll do everything I can to check the bill myself".  
Naruto kept silent again.  
Few days later, a strange thing happened.  
Itachi was seen around – Itachi, alive.  
Strange; he had been removed from the Nukenin ('Most Wanted – Reward') list, because of his help in killing Orochimaru and Kabuto;  
The Akatsuki hadn't been extinguished yet, and that time (Naruto's confession) he had come to Konoha to talk with Kakashi -  
("Should I leave it and come back to the Leaf? The Sasuke problem").  
But there were a lot of people around who wanted to kill him; he was just hiding somewhere.  
Then he came back to Konoha and asked to talk with Kakashi.  
He wanted to make another step toward the Leaf Village – he went there to offer his betrayal of the Akatsuki, to help the Leaf Village in destroying it.  
However, when he heard about his brother, he understood he had to kill him himself – and thought that, after all, it would have been better if he had killed him when he was a child.

So he used his human, warm-blooded mind to arrange things in the best way possible;  
He used the Akatsuki, all together, to kill Sasuke, then he said he went to bury the body –  
But the Akatsuki told him:  
"Bring it to Konoha, tell them everything, PROVE them everything, then use this situation to reveal the truth you know about the Anbu/Uchiha thing: explain them everything.  
We need the Anbu's constabulary to be erased. Then we will attack to take the Jinchuuriki".  
"I" now was a masked man to talk:  
"Know things about what your brother did him that will be useful to us, to take over the Kyuubi".  
Itachi answered simply, "I'll keep it in mind".  
While he was at it, he took off Sasuke's eyes, for himself. They would still be useful in some way.  
When Kakashi knew Sasuke was already dead, he complained a little, but it still was OK since it had been Itachi to kill him.  
"So now you want the entire Village to know everything? But you'll destroy Naruto's life here thus".  
These were exactly the plans of the Akatsuki in fact…Itachi answered:  
"I know. But it is still justice – of course we CAN skip over THAT – we'll just say he tried to kill him by dint of beating, which will be enough. Not by dint of ditching. But you have to know that a lot of people in the village already know. They're judging Sasuke, not Naruto. You know the people in this village are good souls".  
"It looks like you have something else to say".  
"I want to report directly to Anbus and police together. Plus, there should be an assembly of the eldest Shinobis of the village. Sasuke is dead, there's no reason to worry about other countries' reactions, but I have to ask you one more thing…"  
As much as he knew…"Okay"...  
"Could you think about -" _'That would be better' _"Erasing these memories?"  
"I already asked him. He doesn't want. But in fact, he may change his mind when he knows that Sasuke is dead"  
"Right. Possible. Can I step in freely?"  
"I think you will be followed by Anbus all the time. But I'd like to join you, if they allow me. I don't feel that you are so safe, strolling here around".  
Itachi smiled.  
"If they don't want me to tell also other things…"  
Kakashi got it.  
Like you always did, Itachi.  
The crow loses feathers but not the voice.

Naruto moved to live in the hospital – Tsunade chose a long, slow healing for his internal organs.  
When you act on those injuries, in such places, you'd better do it with utmost care.  
Moreover, Naruto KNEW that the rumour had already started –  
He didn't want to go out, walk in the street, and see people.  
But he had to –  
They came visiting him; they all wanted to take a look at him and to keep an eye over him –  
They were all there, to help him.  
The Hyuuga family renewed its marriage proposal.  
Of course all of these people knew of the beatings, NOT of that one thing.  
But some of Naruto's friends were thinking about it, and all those who did, Shikamaru first, were the ones who went to see him almost every day.  
They had to be with him, to support him, they knew; also Ino, and of course Sakura, had quite – understood.  
The worst to cope with was Neji.  
He never wanted to go away.  
He was simply there, when anyone entered, talking with anyone, always smiling, laughing, happy, supporting –  
The real best bedside-manner ever.  
No one knew, apart from Hinata, that he was leaning on some drug to keep this state of mind.  
We will not speak about cocaine, since this didn't of course grow there; but they surely had something better than it.  
Naruto didn't notice, and in fact it was very difficult: there were no signs and no symptoms.

Itachi's deposition went like he wanted; he explained thoroughly all he knew, and pointed out all he thought.  
These were interesting questions; he knew which stones they had to look under.  
It was him to posit the assumption that Sasuke had taken some form of control in Naruto's mind;  
But this was quite impossible to check, unless they taught Naruto how to do it himself.  
And Naruto didn't want to.  
In fact, Kakashi wished that no one told him, for the moment, that Sasuke was dead;  
But this was the first thing Itachi had wanted to do –  
Meet him and talk with him – privately.  
Kakashi was completely baffled; he could think of anything, but not of this.  
What did Itachi want from him?  
Instead – it was quite clear, after they talked –  
Itachi wanted something FOR Naruto, while he could do something to help him.  
They had a long talk, in which Naruto freed himself from the grudge, the burden of the violence, and had the helping hand of someone who tried to explain – not to justify –  
To explain WHY Sasuke did, WHAT Sasuke thought.  
This was already something useful – better than nothing.  
In the end, Itachi told him that he had killed Sasuke;  
Naruto got upset, but managed to behave correctly with the man who actually saved his life –  
He understood these were businesses, those between Itachi and Sasuke, which were full of shit and none of HIS business.  
His business was, that Sasuke was dead.  
That was all and everything.  
This was the reason why he decided to keep these memories –  
Memories of a tragedy, but the last memories of his best friend – of Sasuke.  
And the worst thing was that he thought –

'_I wasn't wrong after all.  
He has always been the victim.  
I ain't stood half of what he did.  
The things he did me –  
It was only –  
The wrong way –  
I saw I do lik-  
Or well.  
I could like it.  
I don't know.  
Did I?  
I didn't – at all.  
I didn't.  
I didn't WANT – he was treating me like I were – an object.  
His object.  
I only know one thing now.  
I'm tired.  
TIRED OF ALL OF THIS – I'M TIRED.  
I want to – REST.  
Where can I rest?  
I'm tired –  
I'm SICK –  
Of being SEEN.  
I'm sick of their – WATCHING ME –  
What do they have to look?  
Wouldn't they simply –  
LET ME REST?  
They always look anxious –  
Like THEY were afraid –  
And what about me?  
No one – I don't want them to think I'm afraid of them –  
BUT I AM!  
Couldn't they care about it?  
Couldn't they?  
I – wasn't it for Neji – he's the only one I can actually trust –  
I KNOW – but even he – harassed me.  
I want to be left alone.  
I don't want to see anyone else.  
Anyone else.  
Actually –  
I know –  
I'd rather –  
Be –  
With –  
Him.  
At least –  
It was HIM.  
He could – he should.  
He was him.  
He – HAD TO.  
He HAD to keep me with him –  
To hold me – HIS ONE.  
Actually, I –  
Am –  
_… _I … AM –  
His one'._

Naruto looked at Itachi, while his eyes were almost completely darkened.  
"What have you done with the corpse?"  
Itachi's face looked like its owner wasn't even breathing.  
"I knew".

He grabbed Naruto's face and looked him in the eyes –  
"I knew this was a good idea.  
Sorry, brother. I took your eyes. And I can erase this".  
The 'something' Sasuke HAD actually done to and on Naruto's mind, as you could easily see above -  
(Evidently that WASN'T Naruto thinking, it was Sasuke – 'better to posses than leave', even when you're dead)  
COULD be erased, deleted; it could be done but and only with Sasuke's eyes.  
The following scene was really creepy –  
Naruto/Sasuke tried to escape, with his saviour/brother following him around the room –  
And finally getting his hands on him, stopping the genjutsu, malediction, seal or whatever it was, and realizing the Jinchuuriki fell on the ground motionless – after all he felt all the struggling of the brothers (it was in HIS mind), 'twas normal he fainted.  
Itachi proposed again Naruto – the same thing –  
"Let me erase his memories"  
"NO."  
"Naruto, this will happen again if you don't clean – "  
"IT'S NOT TO CLEAN IT'S NOT DIRT!"  
"You understand you're ACCEPTING it?"  
"No. I – don't want to. Please don't bring him away – DON'T TAKE HIM AWAY – don't"  
"HIM? He doesn't exist anymore. Don't waste your time on the dead.  
Or time will waste YOU."  
Naruto looked at him silently.  
His eyes were still darker – not yet his normal colour.  
"I don't want the living. I want HIM"  
"It's not YOU wanting HIM, Naruto.  
It's HIM wanting YOU to want HIM – AND YOU OBEY! Can you still TRUST him?"  
No answer.  
Then:  
"Go away. I don't want to talk – "  
"You're whimsical!  
NARUTO – UZUMAKI – are – YOU – whimsical?  
Think of it, before answering."  
Naruto thought – and he had to think a lot – before he REMEMBERED –  
"NO.  
I am NOT –  
I'VE NEVER BEEN"  
"He is.  
Can you understand?  
This is the might of his power on your mind.  
AND I HOPE HE'S DEAD – remember Orochimaru's reincarnations.  
Something always made me feel that this Sasuke could BE a reincarnation of his –  
I don't know enough about his methods.  
I only WISH it was him – wasn't it for the fact that we have to kill him again now – you…"  
"OF COURSE I WISH HE WAS-"  
He stopped and stared in the void for a moment.

"I – I - I don't know.  
I don't know.  
THIS HAPPENED!  
I don't want that Sasuke DOES things like this –  
I want him to be –  
INNOCENT!"  
He began to cry.  
"But THIS HAPPENED!  
And happened – for happened –  
DONE FOR DONE –  
I can only WISH it was him!  
At least it was HIM!  
Him, that I –  
I, I –  
WAIT –  
What the hell was I thinking?  
NO, I DIDN'T, no I never did –  
THIS ISN'T ACTUALLY TRUE!  
I could have thought, this was possible, but no, SASUKE, no, YOU BASTARD, no, I didn't –  
YOU – ANIMAL!"


	5. I Hate To Show That I Lost Control

He stared at Itachi again, and asked him in a lower tone:  
"This is what he's doing to me?  
He's speaking to me with my same voice?  
HE PRETENDS TO BE ME, WITH ME?  
That's to convince me –  
That I think – things – that I DON'T THINK –  
But he wronged, oh, he wronged it at all…"  
"I can liberate you?"  
"NO.  
I must do it by myself.  
Teach me,  
Itachi".  
"I'm just beginning to worry about another thing – way worse.  
I'm wondering, whether it is ONLY mind control.  
We both know my brother, he does everything with a goal.  
What goal, what scope, what PREY are you this time?  
If he's dead – part of his mind can be in yours – but he can't resurrect from this unphysical fragment.  
In fact he needs a BODY – so if he has done what I think… wait: tell me.  
Everything about the beatings – everything – you spoke of the scratches, right?  
The scars on your face.  
And the Kyuubi's seal – and, way far on.  
Tell me EVERYTHING.  
EVERYTHING".  
"But you tell me why I should do it, before."  
"Sasuke – or Naruto?"  
Naruto looked in the void again.  
"Ok, it's me, it's me.  
Never mind.  
Help me keeping control over him, Itachi.  
Help me."  
'_I think he reincarnated in you'  
_

Better not to tell him.  
If this was true, and Sasuke knew he knew…  
Naruto would be fucked.  
Not literally.  
No more.  
Hopefully.  
"I'll do it. But, to make it clear to him, I will tell neither you nor him what I think of. Is it clear, b- … Sasuke?"  
Something black flashed like a kunai through Naruto's eyes, whose colour was still a darkened blue;  
Though, in the left lower corner, a white spot was spreading.  
That was Naruto's conscience, taking control over his own brain, in order to push Sasuke out.  
And the black flashing sparkles, that ran through his eyes from side to side were, Sasuke's trial to stab that white spot.  
He still held on to his old weapon, the Shuriken/Kunai.  
Itachi knew.  
So, he took this eye-reaction as an _'I understand'_ from Sasuke's part.  
This meant, an _'I understand'_ that Sasuke DIDN'T want him to notice; elsewhere, he would have told him in Naruto's voice.  
Which spoke then:  
"Ok, I'm quite sure he isn't controlling at all NOW. Help me keeping him down"  
Itachi moved, to do this and even more: he tracked Sasuke's 'frequency of thought' in Naruto's head.  
He gave it this name in the moment, he never heard of that before.  
He thought that, being two voices and two minds in a single person's room of thought, there must be then TWO distinct flows of conscience.  
Call it frequencies, and you will be able to track the darker and weaker one.  
Naruto's one, in fact, was bright – he was alive – but under and behind all of this darkness, in Sasuke's place, a little white beam was sparkling – and this was Itachi's primary worrying.  
Luckily, he understood it a moment before acting –  
Before entering himself in Naruto's mind and forcedly pushing out his brother –  
He got it swiftly:  
The only survivors of Sasuke's body's wreck –  
Were his eyes – which he took him –  
If he had used HIS eyes to get in Naruto's mind – Sasuke would have had more than twice the power – and quell the mind's rightful owner.  
Itachi then said – his voice trembling –  
"I – I can't do this. We have … must … I can – only – teach – Kakashi. Before it gets too late…"

He left Naruto without saying a word more.  
And Naruto was left there baffled, shocked and misunderstanding. Then, he thought,  
_'Then, he's got ALL this power - over me.  
But couldn't this, like it - has always been, mean that he - cares for me?  
Actually, he isn't hurting me now. I can't really trust him?'  
_We know, _'this'_ HADN'T _'always been'_.  
We all know, he NEVER cared for him; he never wanted to, he never did.  
We all know: this, still, again, wasn't Naruto thinking.  
But we have to face the fact, once and for all, that Naruto DIDN'T feel the coming and going of Sasuke in his mind;  
And even more important –  
He couldn't tell – nor feel –  
The difference between his real self, and Sasuke pretending to be it.  
Sasuke was playing Naruto's part way carefully, after his previous mistake; this should never happen again.  
He needed time and he hadn't;  
He had to work perfectly and quickly, to – get the chance to – survive.  
He had to deviate, to led astray part of Naruto's linking between constituents -  
(It is the process via which the human mind works – relationships between elements)  
And gather them in a unique determined poll, in a blank, void spot in Naruto's world mapping:  
This blank spot actually is – a place left empty –  
Because the person thinks there must be something, which she/he doesn't know yet.  
So the person CREATES the place for something - which isn't there yet - so there IS an empty place.  
Sasuke exploited the one lack, in Naruto's experiences, that he and Neji hadn't manage to fulfil; the lack of a woman.  
To be exact, 'twas the experience of being loved by a woman.

In Naruto's mind grew something he never saw, he never heard of, he never knew;  
Something that made him feel – strong, useful, bright, but –  
Caring, protective, sweet and –  
Bent to FORGIVE – the mistakes, the failings, the failures, the WHIMS – of the other –  
Bent, in conceiving himself stronger than the other - to treat him like a younger, smaller, weaker one;  
Bent to accept the wickedness of the other, and to PAY for his content;  
Bent to never ask, and always answer.  
But also, linking this love with a weaker lover,  
Bent to thank him, for HIS courage; bent to owe to the lover, a not quenchable debt.  
Bent to kill himself before hurting him; and as much as it is with a woman,  
Bent to consider his crying as the proof a wound.  
Bent to be the victim of a parasite.  
The host organism is always stronger, bigger and mightier than the leech.  
Leech: Kakashi was right.  
Leeching, to Sasuke, seemed legit.  
It wasn't, of course, and Naruto did know it well;  
But he 'forgot' it, as soon as Sasuke took out this information of its place and put there something else,  
The 'yang-for-yin' behaviour,  
The _'shine for me, since I have to be dark, it's not my fault, it's my nature'_.  
The result, or well, one of the results of this single alteration of knowledge, was that Naruto thought _'his nature'_.  
He accepted the fact that _'Sasuke was bastard, violent and coward'_ -  
As a natural fact, and therefore immediately after this he thought -  
'_If I wanted him, that's because I liked him like he is. What have I to complain now?'  
_WE see the alteration – Naruto CARED for Sasuke and was his friend – it had never, never been WANTING.  
Naruto didn't see it. Nothing was strange to him, in it.  
Sasuke likened the two versions of himself, the pure and the dirty one, in Naruto's mind;  
And after having thus equalized them, he melted them in a single version;  
Something, someone, but – the important thing – with HIS face.  
The one thing Naruto knew, the one thing Naruto remembered, the one thing Naruto COULD recognize, was that –  
Sasuke's face.  
His mild facial features, that white skin with the two black buttons, small and round like a bird's eyes;  
That mouth, nearly always closed, and when opened, that he so seldom saw laughing.  
That was something Naruto surely had felt nostalgia for, 3 years long;

That was something Naruto longed to see, and it was easy to make him think:  
'_I long to SEE it,  
because I long to BE NEAR it,  
and if I long to be NEAR it,  
that's because I long to have it at hand,  
and this is because I long TO HANDLE it;  
If I long to handle it,  
it may be that I long for it;  
but longing for it means yearn for it,  
and if I yearn for it –  
of course I WANT IT'.  
_It's pure, straightforward logic.  
Where is the mistake, then?  
For mistake it is.  
The mistake lies in the lacks.  
Something is certainly missing.  
Something failed to be checked and identified;  
Something is missing in this process.  
Some elements are lacking:  
The process is led out and completed perfectly, but:  
The results will – LACK – constituents.  
And – really, my dears –  
NEGATION is a constituent.  
If the constituent _'NOT THIS'_ had been taken in consideration, even in the last step of the process, it would have completely changed the process' result.  
And, of course, a subject IS a constituent; if you try to define HOW a thing is, without specifying WHAT it is, it's quite predictable that you won't have a correct result.  
If the constituent _'My best friend Sasuke'_ was merged in this process,  
We all see that its features would affect it,  
Swaying its links to different trajectories (and therefore paths);  
Walk a different path, and normally you will end up somewhere else.  
Reverse the sequence of these operations,  
And you will understand what Sasuke did to Naruto's organic personal computer.  
How easy was now, for him, to redirect everything where it suited him.

We will show the Key Frames:

'_didn't care for me'_  
dropping the negation (with this justification: _the negation DOESN'T exist, it is zero, a zero value, drop the value and it is zero again _– linking incorrectly two true constituents: '_negation is value zero on an element, valued zero since it doesn't exist' _and '_if I erase the value, the element I valued will actually stay the same as it was'_; the missing parts were: '_if I put the zero value, it means that I need it to identify the features of the element' _and '_whenever I need the value again to process this element, I will rebuild it and value it thus again'_) became: '_did care for me'_.

'_I liked him like he was, he's different now, he must be himself again'  
_ underwent this straying; '_I liked him' _dropped the _'once and no more'_ covert specification (who blocked it from applying to _'now'_, so it applied, meaning therefore: _'I like him'_). _'Like he was' _was redirected to _'his nature' _(thus meaning _'like he has always been, without chance of changing'. _This was linked to: '_I like him' _and yielded: _'I like the way he is'; _we, in the electronic era, could name it _'his plug in'_). '_He's different now'_ was erased in consequence of the previous changes (or well, switched to _'he isn't different now'_).

'_He must be himself'  
_ was distorted in: '_HE + HE + HE'_ and _'be he'__ -  
_ (thus, _'be'_ directly and immediately linked to _'him'_; this meant that if Naruto followed his genuine train of thoughts, going down to: _'what has been done to me'_, being lead by the stream to the _'fear' _and the directly related question: '_will it happen again?'_; dropping all the potentially optional constituents, what is left is _'will it be?'_; '_be'_, posited as a question, assumes a doubt, which requires an answer; this is a constituent question, because it requires a constituent answer, a physically existing object shortly defined; the first possible constituent that, with these alterations, came to Naruto's mind, relating to _'be'_, was _'HE'_ – listening to this, he convinced himself that: '_if it had to be done again, it had to be HIM to do it'_; therefore this stepped further and yielded: _'I want HIM to do __it__ again'_, which then was easily switched to: '_I __WANT him to do it again'_).

Now, Naruto's conscience still tried to block the hijacked train of thought, and posited, as an answer to this:  
'_Ok, I don't want him to do it,  
he mustn't be wrong,  
and he mustn't wrong'  
_There came the hijacking:  
'_But if he wants to do it,  
I'll want it'  
_And slightly it became:  
'_If I'M allowed to, if he gives it to ME, if I CAN,  
this should be a GIFT – from his part,  
it HURTS HIM and I LIKE IT'_.  
Not only _'he is the victim'_;  
now the bad thing that corrupted HIM, Sasuke, was the one LIKED by Naruto;  
'_He is the victim_' and  
'_I am the EXPLOITER'_ –  
this redirected him to _'I owe to him'_.  
You will clearly see the altered meaning of _'again'_.  
He prepared to it.

He was completely unconscious of doing this.  
Sasuke was;  
He was conscious of everything going on in Naruto's mind, he was even conscious of things related to his brother, that Itachi himself didn't know.  
And that he couldn't understand.  
Nor did Kakashi understand.  
Of course, he got the entire story about Sasuke's mind control, and whatever Itachi could tell him about his possible interventions; but what Kakashi didn't get was exactly what Itachi didn't understand.  
Moreover, this one thing could be defined a 'leitmotiv' throughout Itachi's life:  
"I'm the point. I'm the one to trigger. I'm the one who pushes things to move. I'm the turning point in Uchiha's clan situation; I'm the trigger in the strategy to kill Orochimaru; I'm the one who will push up Akatsuki's destruction".  
How couldn't he get:  
'I'm the turning point in this situation'?  
Of course: we get it.  
Sasuke wasn't strong, nor mighty;  
Had he to do things, he had to do them the simplest way possible.  
If he had to reincarnate in someone else, but doing it like Orochimaru explained him –  
His latest discovery, his perfected reincarnation method –  
Modifying the host's genetic code, in order to make it the more similar possible to his – original – one.  
We get it:  
Itachi wasn't his enemy (like Naruto wasn't his friend, but his prey).  
Itachi was his goal.  
He had only to fix a pair of other things in Naruto's mind, and then he could take control of his eyes;  
Therefore use them on Itachi's mind itself – using Naruto's one as mirror.  
It WAS simple – and once he had grounded all the necessary ingredients, it was even EASY.

This pair of things, I assure you – weren't they necessary to understand the following events – I would willingly skip it.  
These few things were:  
That Naruto liked him.  
Maybe the worst one, you think. Wait, believe me.  
Sasuke had already understood something which takes decades to be comprehended by ordinary humans –  
By which ordinary humans are normally scared to death –  
That we humans CHOOSE feelings.  
We can create and delete whatever feeling – hate, even fear, and love – as soon as we want it. Just think _'I have to'_ and your mind will do it. _'I want'_ doesn't work.  
Of course, Orochimaru had taught him this, too.  
This was the worst one.  
That Naruto loved him.  
Thus he would never be able to stand against him;  
He would never even think of displeasing him;  
In his wish to protect him and to feed him –  
Merged with his feeling guilty (dirty and shameful) and his 'owing' to Sasuke his happiness –  
Naruto would end up simply SERVING him.  
If this would be the case – we can see it even before Sasuke does:  
BEING his brother, being LOVED, being ALLOWED anything, having POWER –  
All of these were his childhood wishes, turned by cowardice into childish whims.  
Sasuke would get more than he wanted; he only wanted to survive, and – now he had faced it – he wanted things with Naruto to go on like they were going, before he did THAT again – he should have thought of it: prepare the victim to be eaten. Then eat it.  
The last thing wasn't as simple as the previous ones; the matter was: erase the Kyuubi, or pull it out from Naruto.  
Even if the Akatsuki was to be destroyed, the Kyuubi was a constantly potential problem:  
Someone else could get interested in Naruto.  
Who was, and had to remain, HIS and only HIS.


	6. I Keep Going Right Back To The One

This was the first thing Sasuke began to study, since it was actually difficult to understand how it might work;  
And he eventually managed to listen to a conversation between Naruto and Kakashi, with Itachi present.  
This would have been impossible if Itachi weren't there;  
In fact, Itachi didn't know that Naruto could differentiate between himself and Sasuke –  
Only when Itachi himself kept an eye on his mind.  
Itachi discerned Sasuke's colour from Naruto's; Naruto didn't.  
But when Itachi looked at him, Naruto could feel the difference between his voice and Sasuke's –  
And thus manage to SHUT HIM UP.  
So, it was rather difficult for him to do something freely when Itachi was there.  
But this time he had come prepared; he had studied Naruto's 'frequency' and –  
Imitated it – but first, he had to shut up Naruto's mind.  
He crawled lightly behind it –  
A slow cold embrace, wreathing his perception of reality and making it subside under a veil of black smoke.  
Why the smoke?  
We can use a metaphor; to have the smoke, you must burn something.  
What Sasuke had burnt down to ashes was – Naruto's self-esteem.  
That was why, when Naruto SAW, thanks to Itachi, that this black smoke was HIM –  
He yielded to Sasuke's will, definitely giving up.  
He gave up the chances of choosing his own future; he gave up himself, giving it to someone else.  
He trusted someone else more than himself; this was something Naruto was keen to.  
He had always trusted others; he had only to leave trusting himself, to become dependent on someone else.  
Think that this black smoke veil, more than a symptom, can be considered as the key frame of one's healing.  
The black veil lasts far longer than the process of surrender.  
Years after, the victim still perceives the world through this black veil, and if the victim is so lucky to be left alone (even for a minute) WITHOUT the leech, she will feel the alarm given by the veil – _'something is not working here in my mind'_ – and eventually fix it.  
But she has to be left alone. For the moment, the certain thing is that the victim becomes dependent on the leech.  
As Naruto did, actually – when Sasuke told him:  
'_Sleep now. I'ma think of it'  
_He trusted himself to Sasuke.  
And few hours before, he knew perfectly that he shouldn't do it.  
But he did.  
Thus, Sasuke could listen to this conversation between Itachi and Kakashi; the talking Naruto actually wasn't Naruto anymore, but Sasuke.

Itachi tried to explain them the gravity of the problem; Naruto was "in a triangle of fire".  
The Akatsuki wanted the Kyuubi.  
Sasuke wanted to come back, certainly; certainly, he wanted Naruto; maybe he wanted to reincarnate in him.  
The third fire was, "more than friend fire, HOME fire".  
If the people in Konoha knew of this twofold threat, they'd "fire Naruto off, leaving him to the beasts who wanted to eat him".  
If not to the Akatsuki - since it actually would be "a problem for Konoha itself" - they could still "leave him to Sasuke who would probably never create problems to all the other inhabitants".  
They had to protect Naruto from those three fires; and where they could "eventually destroy the first two ones, the latter" was "a far more complicated matter".  
Itachi pointed out, however, that "destroying the other two fires" they would "free Naruto from the third".  
Sasuke listened carefully to all of this.  
And played his part – better than we could expect from a 16 years old person.  
Sasuke said, through Naruto's demise, that he –  
Naruto – could "make him shut up" – Sasuke – "and get definitively out of" his mind.  
He said he – Naruto – had "discovered this in the previous hours", while he tried "to have a talk with Sasuke";  
Since "he was constantly trying to deceive" him, Naruto decided "to stop listening to him".  
And so he did, meaning that Sasuke could be silenced, and Naruto could think freely.  
Itachi trusted it all.  
He thought he knew enough of the present situation to understand what happened.  
He thought he could trust Naruto and Naruto's strength.  
However, we all know that whatever was going to happen wouldn't be Itachi's fault.  
It would be Sasuke's fault, and neither partially Naruto's; how could he be wrong?  
He was the victim; how can we expect him to hold on, to be brave like he always did, and to be strong?  
He had been injured – and in the worst place possible – he had been injured in his male self-esteem.  
He had been betrayed, deceived – by someone he trusted with his whole heart – by someone, he called friend.  
Notice, the difference between Sasuke and Gaara.  
Naruto called Gaara a friend AFTER Gaara tried to kill him;  
And for this reason, Gaara learnt to respect him and eventually listen to him.  
Naruto called Sasuke a friend, since he, Naruto, respected him and eventually listened to him;  
But Sasuke betrayed him, he strayed, he failed in keeping his mind on the right track –  
And worst of all, in the end, it wasn't he to pay his mistake: Naruto did.  
How should we call him – a – Bosie?  
And how could we blame Itachi?  
His life had been cruel enough with him.  
He wasn't a coward, he was only – tired.  
He had to wait decades to die, now – he wanted to die before, earlier;  
Thanks to his brother – by his little brother's hands.  
He was only tired.  
Wasn't it for Naruto's martyrdom – the preparing future – could have been better for them all.  
But we have to face a World Law: it allows no sacrifice.  
Debtors will pay, creditors will check. I am just trying to warn you: 'Sensible advice'.  
To make the metaphor clearer, someone invented Paradise and Hell. We do not need these, in 2012.

Itachi asked 'Naruto' what he wanted to do.  
Naruto said that he thought of a simple thing: AFTER I push Sasuke out of my mind, I may undergo the same treatment the Akatsuki reserved to Gaara.  
Here Kakashi's face went pale.  
"We should kill you – erase the Kyuubi or trap it somewhere – and then resurrect you?"  
"If we could do this..." Naruto began to answer him.  
Itachi intervened: "We must destroy the Akatsuki first. Then, we will have to fix this Jinchuuriki/Kyuubi thing for the last time.  
But I know something – I have an idea – listen: have you ever thought of binding the Kyuubi to Naruto's soul and body, so that they might not be severed?"  
No. They did not; nor did they think it was possible.  
Nevertheless, Sasuke was aware and awake – this WAS a good plan.  
_'Thanks, Itachi'_.  
He made Naruto answer: "Or well, we must study it now. Can you help me?"  
He did not dare to call Itachi by name; he could sense the vibration, the trembling in his voice and – detect him.  
"Primarily, we should study your seal. There might be all the information we need.  
Then we have to interrogate Sasuke, but we must be careful – I think he actually wanted to reincarnate in you.  
So – you have to tell him a lie – Ok?"  
Answering, "Ok..." Sasuke could not keep himself from laughing.  
Itachi saw Naruto's smile and thought this was the sign of some sort of revenge – from Naruto's part on Sasuke; _'you deceived me – I deceive you'_.  
Itachi could comprehend that his brother was anything – mugger, killer, bastard, and coward – but he couldn't conceive that his adored child was FALSE.  
He was the liar – Sasuke was only weak.  
Itachi had not had the time, throughout his life, to think of himself as he wanted to do; if he had been able to, Itachi would have completely understood that he WAS NOT a liar – he DID it.  
Sasuke WAS weak, and PLAYED the liar. He made it, he did it, he chose it.  
I will skip the conversation.  
We will move directly to its conclusions: Itachi agreed definitively with Naruto/Sasuke.  
They divided tasks: respectively, Naruto had to work on his connection with the Kyuubi, to explain him everything and to reach the complete control of Sasuke's will (what would be done, actually, backward).  
Itachi had to gather information, maybe even from the Akatsuki, and certainly from the Anbus.  
Kakashi would keep an eye on Naruto, and study the entire village library to find anything he could on seals and demons.  
After a week, more or less, Itachi came back.  
He had already done more than his task required; he had extorted all the possible information from the Akatsuki members, and then he had killed them all.  
He was covered with wounds and half dead; his recovery in Konoha's hospital, under Tsunade's hands, took two weeks. In this time, Sasuke had gained complete control over Naruto's will.  
Naruto actually wanted everything Sasuke put in his whims; he willingly decided to follow Sasuke's needs.  
Or well, what Sasuke told him were his needs.  
When Sasuke told Naruto:  
'_Talk with the Kyuubi._  
_Tell him that we will try to fix him to you, irreversibly; tell him you want it, and that this will save you both._  
_Tell him that there is the Akatsuki and even worse out there, wanting to catch him and use him again, as if he was meat for the slaughter._  
_He must want this, to join perfectly with you'_.  
Naruto agreed thoroughly.

_'Ok, then: allow Itachi to look inside you, and when I tell you to do it, you must show him you're controlling me and keeping me under hand._  
_If I tell you, you do this: posit that he could take my conscience in his mind, thus freeing you, and assume that he is strong enough to defeat me._  
_If he takes me, everything between us will be all right._  
_I'll always be there, and I will protect you._  
_Don't worry._  
_Trust in me, my dear._  
_Trust in me'_  
Naruto's psychological abilities were too weak to understand what was really happening.  
He gave up more than half of his mind; he shut it down.  
Luckily, humans cannot delete their own mind's parts; they can only switch them to standby.  
A time or another, Naruto would wake up.  
Itachi shared the information he gained with Kakashi and Naruto/Sasuke.  
This was all:  
"The masked man – who survived – told me how to do this seal.  
He said that the Kyuubi must be willing to bind himself to Naruto forever, and that we have to look at something called 'Truth of Chakra'; but I think this actually is the Karma.  
That man is always mysterious, even when he should not.  
He is reliable enough, though, to keep this information.  
Moreover, he gave me a strange advice; he told me to take Sasuke in my mind.  
I know him better than Naruto does, and I will be able to hold him under hand until we find out how to kill him.  
This is something on which I couldn't get any clarification.  
Oh, and the masked man – he is the worst danger we must face now.  
He's able to switch his body in an intangible state – as if he was made of plasma.  
In addition, he wants the Kyuubi, totally.  
I'm sorry I couldn't..."  
"Ok, ok, I understand. Tell me, Naruto, you talked with the Kyuubi?"  
"Yes.  
He agrees.  
He willingly chose to be bound to me.  
Is it ok?"  
"All right.  
Excuse me, now.  
I have to talk privately with Itachi – about something..."  
That something was Naruto's chances of survival.  
Kakashi could not trust completely this plan.  
His instinct told him that something was not clear enough.

Naruto could not be the sacrifice.  
Naruto was a teenager.  
When you are grown up, and you are an intelligent person, all teenagers are YOUR sons.  
They are YOUR cubs.  
You exist because you are useful to them.  
Nope, Kakashi had chosen to protect him, and protect him he will.  
"Are you sure – this is going to work?  
I mean, if the information we've got on the seal isn't true, we will risk everything for a mistake.  
Naruto must be protect – shield – I mean..."  
"I get it.  
But this is the only thing we can do – and moreover... I want to take in Sasuke."  
"This is exactly what I worry about.  
Can't you feel that there is something – strange – dangerous?"  
"Yes... but I think that it is the situation itself that gives us this feeling.  
The entire thing is awkward – and of course, more dangerous than anything else now – but this means also more dangerous than this possible solution – I mean, my taking in Sasuke".

"I thought of it in these two weeks. I want to do it.  
Believe me – this would put many things in their places.  
Naruto would be freed – and even if I can't erase him, I will still be able to control Sasuke, forever – and if you understand me – this is the first time I can – I will be able to live with him ... I can't stand – losing him – now that I have the chance..."  
Itachi wronged unwillingly, there.  
If Sasuke had heard of it – if only he could imagine – he would choose to let Itachi's mind work, he would even give up Naruto – to live beside and with his brother.  
But he wouldn't – he hadn't ground to think of this.  
Naruto would be his prey – Itachi would be his body.  
What hope? Nope, nothing could stop him – before he would do it.  
Someone could stop him after that, the masked man – but if the Kyuubi were sealed, the masked man would have had no reason to do it.  
Face it, and deal with it.  
Sasuke entered Itachi's mind with his own permission.  
Once inside, he spent three days in fighting with, then dousing, then erasing Itachi's conscience.  
He - kind of - ate it.  
As soon as he had control over a human body, he let Naruto know.  
And Naruto was happy.  
Naruto was happy.  
"You've come back –  
To ME"  
Sasuke/Itachi laughed.  
"Luckily, the Akatsuki is dead.  
No dawn, where I still keep night.  
The darkness is bounding us, now, as a womb does.  
You agree?"  
"Yes..." of course.

I told you, three times good is stupid.  
Here is where you end up being too stupid and merciful.  
Be merciful AFTER the guilty has paid.  
It is just another sensible advice.  
_'Why did you say that about the Akatsuki?'_  
Naruto's reaction ability was so weak, that he could not even PICTURE questions.  
Sasuke thought that if someone from the Akatsuki approached him, it would be difficult for him to act perfectly like Itachi – there were many things he did not know, of the last years of his brother's life.  
In Konoha, it was all way simpler – Kakashi hardly knew Itachi's gestures and behaviour, which Sasuke was perfectly able to copy.  
With Kakashi, with all the others, this was so simple that no one doubted of his BEING Itachi – the only one to know the difference, and soon, the soonest possible, was Naruto.  
Itachi never did that – and he already knew this was Sasuke actually.  
But Naruto got even to the point of asking something, to feel more secure about and with his dear partner; he asked Sasuke to get again his 'real' voice, in order to let him feel, at least, that this was Sasuke talking – therefore, acting.  
While Kakashi thought that with Sasuke all had been fixed;  
While Naruto let him look and walk freely in his mind, just to assure him that there was only him;  
While Sasuke played Itachi's part so well that he could even bring the deposition further –  
(managing to dismiss half of the Anbu's constabulary and to pose as a candidate for a high missing place);  
Kakashi selected, analyzed and processed all the information about the Kyuubi, and he proceeded to seal it.  
This time he did it correctly.  
Here, it is here, where something changed.  
Naruto had something near, now, a thinking something.  
The Kyuubi was nearer than Sasuke to Naruto; Sasuke couldn't intervene nor interfere between them.  
Finally yet importantly, it was completely in the Kyuubi's interest that Naruto was safe – and untouched.  
Actually, he had felt everything Naruto suffered.  
He was not that happy, you understand – he preferred that Naruto stayed untouched.  
Sasuke found in him a concrete enemy.  
The Kyuubi could take Naruto back to reality and mindfulness; the Kyuubi could convince him that Sasuke did wrong, that Sasuke was wrong.  
In order to avoid the loss of his prey, Sasuke put all his strength in convincing Naruto that he actually loved him; if the Kyuubi was proved wrong, Naruto would believe him a liar.  
And Sasuke tried to get to this, telling Naruto that the Kyuubi wanted to be freed from him and to join the masked man's army, as his weapon.  
He told Naruto that the Kyuubi would easily sacrifice his Jinchuuriki, to get the chance of letting go his hatred out, and kill.  
This time, it was Sasuke to be deceived.  
Naruto answered "Yes", but it wasn't 'Yes' at all.  
He didn't know who to trust, and to him all of this seemed no surprise; he felt that everything was like it had always been, that Sasuke was trustable, and the Kyuubi too.  
Now they were opponents; whom could he trust?  
_'Neither of the two'_ he chose.  
He didn't trust Sasuke, and he didn't trust the Kyuubi.


	7. Thing That I Need To Walk Away From

Sasuke went on doing what he did.  
Naruto was more and more acting as if he was a doll.  
His "Yes" reaction stopped, he simply stared at Sasuke and smiled at him.  
Triggering, as we saw before, Sasuke's repressed violence.  
Then, something even stranger happened to him; Sasuke stopped wanting to take his prey.  
As quick and slight as it had come to him, the will to oppress Naruto went away.  
He went on battering him, thought even the beating slowed down and decreased; weeks later, he got back to his normal slaps of a time gone, sometimes followed by right-hand punches to the face.  
Light punches, light slaps, he let Naruto do and say whatever he wanted, but he LISTENED to him; the only thing left, of his previous, deeply intimate approach, were kisses.  
We can think of Itachi's body influence.  
The body thinks, my dears, and Sasuke had only deleted Itachi's mind - in the brain.  
Where the whole mind is a personal computer, the brain is the motherboard.  
The whole body thinks.  
Being his brother's voice, maybe Sasuke, even unwillingly, listened to it.  
If we can't name it love – we can still state that this was exactly the same as it had been with Orochimaru.  
Sasuke began to stop and stare at Naruto, in the middle of a conversation, an event, or an action.  
Even when Sasuke himself was talking, he used to do it – he stopped blinking at Naruto, the mouth still open, and he began to smile – in a different way.  
Then Kakashi saw Itachi doing strange things – it seemed he was training – but why should Itachi train in transformation?  
And it was even stranger, the fact that he actually transformed into himself – but younger.

In the end, he simply asked him.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Oh... I was just thinking of partially regaining my teenage years.  
Moreover, Sasuke is 16, and if I come back to that age, it will be easier for us to live together"  
"I didn't think of that.  
How's going on with Sasuke?"  
"He was so angry in the beginning...however, I've managed to bring him to a calmer state.  
He's kind of listening to me now..."  
"I heard rumours about that Anbu place candidates.  
It seems that you are the favourite.  
I have to say, sincerely, that I'd prefer you to be a Chuunin trainer like me".  
"I think I'm not that trustable, to work with teenagers...  
'Yeah, how many people you've killed?'  
'Yes, like – my entire family'  
... It doesn't sound that good, you know..."  
"Hahahaha! Where is Naruto?"  
"At home!  
Would you mind taking him out, just to have a walk?  
He never does anything without me...  
I would like if he had a life on his own!"  
This was true.  
Sasuke WANTED Naruto to vent and wake up to life again.  
And who was better than Kakashi, to bring him to life?  
In this conversation, Kakashi only noticed that Itachi put a bit of expressivity in his speech.  
He thought this came from the happiness of being (accepted) home again.  
At this point, Sasuke decided to bring back Naruto's self-conscience, and self-esteem, to their normal state.  
He had to deceive him again, however.  
If Naruto woke up and understood what he had done to him, he would attack him; if Naruto woke up and didn't know that he was he, half of Sasuke's goals would evanish.  
He had to make Naruto forget that he was Sasuke, wake him up and let him see Itachi, then let him know what happened.  
Then, valuing his reaction, he could choose between letting him know, or not, that he was himself.  
Or well, that Itachi was Sasuke.  
We know Naruto less than Sasuke did, but we understand him much better.  
We already know what Naruto would do.

He saw, he saw his regained memories; his reaction to Sasuke's violence was "Poor thing..."  
He saw the other, worse kind of violence; his reaction was – shouting:  
"But why didn't he ask me? If he wanted – why shouldn't I think of it – if he only asked me...But now – where is he now?"

Huh. How could he tell him?  
"Well ... you remember this?  
He saw me...and – he followed me, to kill me – but I escaped in the Akatsuki's place – and they all killed him...and –"  
"WAIT – DEAD? SASUKE IS DEAD?  
But how did this happen – the seal – THIS SEAL – THE KYUUBI – I DID"  
"No, you didn't.  
But if you had done it, you would have been right".  
" NO NO NO NO NO..."  
"Please, Naruto...please let me explain ... I have"  
Itachi/Sasuke grabbed Naruto's face with one hand, holding it on the palm and closing the four fingers on the cheek.  
Like a father does.  
Naruto went on:  
"I'm not blaming you!  
He was even trying to kill you!"  
"NOT THAT!  
I am – I – I …"  
Naruto looked at him, without speaking, for few seconds.  
"You – saved him?  
Really?  
I wanna see him!  
I wanna talk to him! I wan-"  
"No…"  
"No – wait!  
I'm not in danger!  
I can see him!  
I can defend myself – but I have to tell him – I'm not afraid of him – I don't blame him – I have to talk with him – I have to…"  
Itachi/Sasuke was looking at him, baffled.  
"I have to see – 'cause – Itachi, Itachi – if he needs me?  
Believe me, let me see him – let me"  
"He was killed.  
His body destroyed.  
I took his eyes.  
You took his mind.  
He left part of his mind inside you.  
You helped him getting back his strength – you believed he loved you –"  
"I still do…"  
"WHAT?"  
"What's strange? If I do, I do".  
He smiled.  
Sasuke/Itachi began to cry.  
"Itachi…"  
"Itachi's gone away.  
Itachi has disappeared.  
I killed him"  
"YOU … you WHO?"  
Naruto was totally unable to understand.  
What the hell was happening?

"I … Sasuke. Ehr…"  
"YOU – ARE?"  
Naruto embraced him.  
Sasuke cried.  
Naruto laugh.  
You see, that's what destiny is.  
It was completely unpredictable – or completely predictable.  
Either of the two, the human life seems planned from the beginning.  
The younger Itachi, friend of Naruto; Naruto, got back to his normal state of mind, safe from the Kyuubi's hunters; Kakashi was totally happy. He only missed one thing now…  
One thing that Naruto also missed – but Kakashi thought it was a longer time, he was missing it.  
Sasuke left hold of him.  
Naruto felt free – Sasuke was free – he entered Anbus, in the end, while Naruto eventually passed the Chuunin exam and was appointed instructor.  
Shikamaru got the chance with Hinata.  
Naruto was the only person in the whole village to be aware of the fact that Itachi was Sasuke.  
Naruto had an 'old partner comeback', as we see in soap operas – Neji, of course.  
Sasuke was happy, after all.  
They moved to live in Naruto's house – and the whole day you could hear Neji's complaints, in loud volume, about Naruto's "unconceivable untidiness".  
And – Kakashi saw Itachi always going around in that teenager demise – and ended up asking him:  
"Couldn't you go around like you really are?  
I know why you do it, but it's really awkward for me… I just feel old enough normally … if you don't help me in feeling young – If I always walk around teenagers – I'll prepare my tomb…"  
"Wait, you are still older than me – you don't want me to become a 35 years old man, no –"  
"THIRTY WHAT? I'm 29! ANIMAL!  
And however you look already older than me"  
"I don't give a- no it isn't true. Absolutely not.  
I'm 20, and I'll look 20. Is it all right now?"  
"Mh. But I'll remember. It's like you told a woman she had small boobs"  
"I never had time to look at these things…"  
"BUSTED…"  
Kakashi's face was impossible to describe.  
It was our 'I saw what you did there' face.

Sasuke understood, and fired back:  
"Well, you know Deidara, didn't you?"  
Kakashi mimed vomiting.  
"Waaah! Bleah! Bleaaah…Itachi!  
You're so killing me. What I've done?"  
"You assumed I'm old as you are.  
But this is not a capital crime.  
Peace?"  
"Peace abounding, my dear.  
Wait, I meant …"  
"Hahahahahaa…"  
Kakashi immediately changed subject, while he thought:  
_'Wait, he's laughing! It's a miracle!'_  
In fact, it wasn't HE, but - never mind.  
Kakashi asked him:  
"Have you already eaten?"  
"Mh, kind of no. Ramen?"  
"Ramen. You pay…"  
"Wait, why? You're the older one!"  
"This means you're the woman?"  
"HUH? Woman? Hahaha…"  
"Laugh, laugh.  
I never saw you drink.  
This means you're not a real man…"  
"Challenge accepted…"  
That's what destiny is.  
If they had wanted it to happen, they wouldn't even have talked to each other.  
The list of the impossible couples ends here.  
We wish all the happiness in the world to these two couples.  
Wait … the masked man? He went in another place – he let Naruto be quiet.


End file.
